Many Internet access plans include data caps or limits over a predetermined time period, such as a predetermined amount of data per month. Typically, if these limits are exceeded, further data may be delivered, but at drastically increased prices or at significantly reduced speeds.
Additionally, network access to frequently utilized resources may be accelerated and latency reduced by pre-fetching the resources and caching them at a local device (e.g. in a cache of a router or gateway or client device).
Thus, pre-fetching data may increase access speed and improve performance of the devices and network. However, pre-fetching data may quickly consume allocated connection limits. Even if pre-fetching is stopped upon reaching or approaching the connection limit, normal network usage for the remainder of the time period may result in the limit being exceeded, resulting in increased costs, reduced access speeds, and other limitations. Accordingly, pre-fetching-based acceleration may ironically result in slower access.